


Torn Away

by unknown_unspoken



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Badass Mal, Ben Under a Love Potion, F/M, Hero Mal, Hurt Mal, Kidnapped Mal, Other relationships except Mal/Ben are just on the side
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-01-08 19:47:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12260922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknown_unspoken/pseuds/unknown_unspoken
Summary: Taking place in the second Descendants movie.Instead of breaking Uma's love-spell immediately, Mal is taken by her pirate crew. Mal must break free to save Ben, her friends, and Auradon.Note: Mal is a broken, badass Isle girl.Repost from my other account over on Wattpad.





	1. Abandoned to Be Taken

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first multi-chap fanfiction that I plan on completing. Please let me know if I have any typos, or if you have any suggestions or ideas regarding the plot, etc.

She listened as Ben rushed on about how he wishes he had time to explain. _Explain what?_ Mal racked her brain in attempt to think of something, _anything_ that could possibly be wrong, other than everything they had already endured in their escape from the Isle.

She was pulled from her frantic thoughts when the noisy crowd around her silenced; Uma appeared at the top of the stairs. Mal's face instantly dropped in fear and confusion, trying to piece together how Uma had landed her spot at the cotillion. Mal watched as Uma shyly smiled and gave a small wave to the surrounding people as she was guided down the stairs. Mal felt as if her heart was being ripped out as she witnessed Ben graciously meet Uma at the bottom with a kiss.

Uma and Ben gave hurried explanations for the display, and left Mal still lost in confusion. She knew her and Ben had been having problems recently, but never big enough to leave each other. Obviously things were bad after their last fight, seeing as she fled her problems by returning to the Isle. Despite how it may have seemed, she truly hoped Ben understood that it wasn't because of him, for _for_ him.

She only wanted to protect him, from herself. Mal wanted Ben to have someone beside him who could support him, not drag him down. No matter how hard she tried, she always came to the conclusion that she was never going to be enough. She desperately wanted to be the one for Ben, but she couldn't stop the protruding through that flooded her brain, reminding her that she was a villain, that she would tear Ben down.

So when Uma and Ben's sloppy explanation concluded, she gladly let her friends guide her away from the chaos and confusion, to somewhere they could make sense of it all. She could hear them comment on Ben's unusual decisions, but the voice in her head echoed, reminding her that she wasn't enough for him. She tried to rationalize his actions in her head as she walked away from the scene, only to rediscover the betrayal she felt as she replayed Ben kissing Uma at the bottom of the stairs. How could he do this to her? She had truly given everything she had to Ben, excluding some of her darkest demons she refused to push her trouble onto her boyfriend.

She didn't realize they had reached their destination until Jay lightly grabbed her shoulder, preventing her from walking past them. Evie looked up at Mal with her sorrow-filled eyes,

 

"I'm so sorry, Mal," She took a moment to plan out her following words. "We're all here for you."

 

Mal gave her a preoccupied nod in return, only focusing on keeping her head turned away to prevent her friends from seeing the tears that glazed over her green eyes.

"I'll be okay, really, I just need a minute to figure everything out." Mal looked up to her friends, hoping they couldn't see the lone tear rolling down her cheek in the dim lighting. "And it's nothing against you guys, you know that... but I'd like to be left alone. I'll come back when I'm ready." The VKs nodded respectfully and all walked away slowly except for Evie, who made sure to give Mal a reassuring hug before returning to the cotillion.

They could all see how hurt Mal was, but they also understood her need to be alone. They had all been there, needing comfort in their own isolation, to think and hurt before putting their defenses back up. They'd never admit it, but sometimes they just needed to let themselves be vulnerable, just rarely, if ever, around others. That'd be weakness. The VKs, however, had already grown past that, grown past the uncomfortability. Still, they all reverted to their old habits of private vulnerability on occasion.

When she heard the soft steps finally fade away, she let her tears pour quietly down her face. Silence, an ability she had accustomed her tears to. As she mentally kicked herself for being weak, her thoughts were interrupted with conflicting ones about her broken heart. In their short but sweet time together, she felt her and Ben had grown off of their initial connection, even with their rocky moments. She had given so much of herself to be the girl Ben deserved, _Hell_ , she let her hair be washed out blonde with purple tips in an attempt to help Ben's image, to convince Auradon that Ben was with a lightened girl, the darkness of the Isle faded out from her.

She allowed Ben, even if not always intentional, to see her darker parts. He knew she could make decisions when something was important to her, that she fought for what she believed was right, even when things got ugly. He knew her so much better than nearly everyone else. yet, he still met Uma at the bottom of the stairs and showed _her_ affection.

She wasn't enough for Ben, King of Auradon. How could she ever think she was? She was just a villain kid trying to fit into new shows that were just not made to fit her.

Believing she wasn't good enough for Ben, she still couldn't comprehend how desperately she wished for Ben's arms to be wrapped around her, dancing. Smiling, and laughing. It didn't matter now. Ben had betrayed her, abandoned her for Uma, an improvement from herself, the broken Isle girl.

Mal looked out to the sea, listening to waves ripple against the boat.The moonlight shone on the water, captivating her eyes in a temporary distraction from her thoughts. 

It didn't last long.

No matter how hard she tried to push the thoughts from her mind, she couldn't understand how Ben could abandon her. She knew she wasn't perfect, she was far from it, but she always believed that her and Ben were meant to be. She loved him more than anything, and it terrified her. It had horrified her to think about how much she had invested in Ben. She had even contemplated breaking up with Ben in the beginning, out of fear of how vulnerable, how _weak_ , he made her. One look with his gentle eyes and he immediately threw away the thought, but that was before the pressure of being a King's girlfriend set in. Before she really did leave him, fleeing to the Isle. It was her fault he betrayed her, she had neglected him and never shown him how much he meant to her. Tears quietly fell down her face onto the wooden boards beneath her.

Now she stood, crying out to the sea as her heart pounds, thinking about her loss. The loss of love. She knew she should fight to get Ben back, to prove that she really loved and deserved him, but right now, it had to wait. She needed to compose herself, to stop being weak. Her eyes sought out another distraction from the gentle waves, but found not comfort. The waves were harsher now, reminding her of how her thoughts pushed around inside her mind, fighting to break free, but ultimately mixing into a confusing, catastrophic mess.

Her negative thoughts, the ones she always tries to dismiss, had already spilled out into her mind full force, like an oil rig exploding and contaminating the clearer water. Granted that her mind was already filthy from her past, the current situation only added o it. As her mind sways from Ben to her poor memories on the Isle, she's convinced that she's better off alone.

 

(But she already knows she's lying to herself.)

 

As her steady stream of tears ran dry, she decided to return to the party, to try and find her friends so she can leave. Still, she hesitated, looking to the waves once more.

 

She was too lost in thought when the footsteps approached; it was too late when the hand wrapped around her mouth and arms pulled her to the ground. She struggled against her captors, but with no success. She felt a cloth press against her nose and she knew she couldn't do anything. She wanted so badly in that moment to break free and prove to everyone she was more than a damaged VK; more than anything she just wanted to tell Ben she loved him.


	2. Gone

The stain glass window is revealed, dyed panes elegantly portrayed Mal and Ben. That's when the VK's know they need to bring Mal back to Ben. They hurry out of the cotillion, hoping to find her quickly. They're worried when she's no longer where they left her, but dismiss it almost immediately. They wander the deck further, searching for anywhere she may have gone on the yacht.

Maybe she just went back to the dorms.

Jay and Carlos surprisingly volunteer to stay at the cotillion in hopes of finding Mal if she comes out of hiding. Evie returns to the dorms, hunting for any sign of Mal in any of the various rooms.

They come up empty.

 

 _She's gone_.

 

Now they're really worried.

 

When Evie arrives back at the cotillion, they split up. They ask around, looking for any information on where Mal could have gone, but the last anyone saw of her was when she rushed out from the main deck.

They alert Belle and Beast when they've done all they can on their own. And despite their son's decision, they are quick to help. At first there are some concerns on if Mal returned to the Isle _again_ , but the VK's are almost entirely positive that's not the case.

"She wouldn't go back there, not again" Carlos said.

"Especially not after we just returned," Jay continued "I know this is bad, but she wouldn't up and leave, not when we all worked so hard to bring her back once before."

Carlos and Jay nod to each other in agreement, and Evie takes the moment to speak.

"I know shes still here somewhere, she has to be." Evie hesitated, considering the situation, "She may have run off, after everything at the cotillion, but she;s still here in Auradon. She has to be."

Belle and Beast nod in sync, and Belle reaches out to place a reassuring hand on Evie's shoulder.

"We are going to find her, we will." Belle said as Beast wrapped a strong arm around her shoulder.

With that, the former-king and queen organize a group to patrol the Auradon campus in search of Mal. The investigation is small, just a few guards that Belle and Beast trust, only because they do not want to worry the kingdom in case Mal is just in hiding.

A few of the guards attending the cotillion return to where Mal had last been, finding no sign of her. The other group of guards investigated on campus to conclude that, no, Mal had not returned to her dorm from the cotillion. Wherever she was, she had gone there straight from the cotillion. 

The hours and hours they spent looking, even after the cotillion had ended, went without any new findings.

 

Ben and Uma returned to the kingdom.

 

Belle and Beast continued hosting the search for Mal in secret.

The VK's didn't get any sleep that night.

\---

When her eyes fluttered open, she reflexively sat up only to be disoriented. Her hands were bound behind her back in thick rope.

The room she as in was dark. One light bulb above her to dimly light the area. Dust and dirt covered the old stone bricks, Sitting up, she vaguely recalled her moments on the dock before she had been taken.

She panicked slightly, concerned on who had captured her and where the Hell she had been taken to. There was no external light coming into the 20ft x 20ft room, and the door that lied in front of her was made of dark oak wood with large metal hinges. There was a small opening in the door, covered by a metal plate, likely to put small items through. She couldn't open the small hatch from her side of the door.

Her back ached from how she had lied on the floor, and she had a minor headache. She stood up and walked around the walls in search of anything helpful, preferably a lose brick or a random escape door. _Yeah, right _.__

Her stomach growled as she adjusted to her cell. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave suggestions for the plot if you have any. Updates will be coming soon, though I do not have anything close to a set schedule for posts.
> 
> Thanks!


	3. Locked Up and Drowned Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The VKs configure other plans and Mal attempts escape.

After what felt like hours, Mal hears footsteps outside of her cell door. They approach quietly and stop abruptly; she can hear keys jangling softly. The gears of the lock grind as it turns. She scoots closer to the back of the room.

Aggravatingly loud aching hinges signal the door opening.

She's greeted by him.

Fake hook and all, his maniacal grin doesn't falter as her enraged glare fires daggers at him. Gil and another member of his pirate crew stand behind him on opposite sides of his shoulders. Gil's face is stern, no emotion being let through; she recognizes the other pirate but can't recall his name. He shares a similar smirk to the one that covers Harry's smug face.

Harry Hook stands there, beaming with his agitating grin. Mal fights the urge to run toward him and fight; the only thing preventing her from doing so is the tight knot binding her hands.

"Well, Mal, it's been awhile, hasn't it?" Hook says, stepping into the cell with his crew mates following in suit.

"Not that long, Harry. I was hoping I wouldn't be seeing you so soon, really." Mal pauses "After returning to the Isle I was reminded how much better things were here, without you and your crew of imbeciles."

Despite her jab at him, Harry just flashes his teeth again. He steps closer, within arms length of Mal. He runs his fake hook down the side of her face, his smile sunken down into a straight line.

"Well then I apologize for your unhappy circumstances, but I quite like the surprises we have in store for you." Only a hint of Hook's grin remains, but it is forgotten as the darkness that fills his eyes takes the spotlight on his face.

His words don't scare Mal, she knows they should, but she's holding onto the belief that she will be leaving soon. Much before she has to endure any of the surprises.

Gil eyes Mal, face still emotionless and takes her by the arm. The other pirate grabs her opposite arm, though less gently than Gil had.

"We'll be taking you on a little field trip, Surprise number one, if you will." He turns his back to her, and just as he spins around Mal catches a glimpse of his grin rising again.

——————

The VKs wake up early, after a long night of fading hope, confusion, and lack of sleep.

Their hope is renewed when they organize a meeting with Belle, Beast, and the head of their search crew. They would have to have some information by now, right?

They meet Belle and Beast in their office as soon as they can. The doors are insignificantly locked behind them to prevent anyone from entering.

The former rulers have no news to give them, and that fading hope they experienced during their sleepless night returns, worse than before.

"Evie, I know you want answers but there isn't much we can do. It's only been a day, and you guys said it earlier, Mal should still be here on the Isle, just avoiding everyone." Beast hesitates, looking to his wife "We will find her, one way or another I promise. Right now, though, we will continue searching and patrolling but we can't expect results instantly."

Evie sighs, not accepting the answer but understanding Beast.

Beast clears his throat before adding, "I know you're very close with Mal, so if you have any ideas where she may have went I'd like for you to work with our guards on coordinating searches."

"Yeah, but I don't think Mal would stay away this long without contacting us. Even on the Isle she'd find a way to reach us." Jay states firmly.

Belle and Beast share glances with their guard leading the search. Beast appears as if he wants to speak but doesn't have enough of his thoughts gathered in time before the VKs take over.

"You're right Jay." Evie says, nodding to herself remembering how Mal would contact them even when she'd been locked away by her mother. "Mal always found a way, and we know she's hurting but she wouldn't completely lock us out." With the realization that Mal is likely not in hiding, Evie's face fills with concern.

"They took her." Carlos says plainly, clear.

"That changes this operation then." The guard says, looking to his former king.

Beast nods, "Yes, that would change things a lot... but even with this knowledge there isn't much with the operation we can change. We still have no leads on her location."

"Are you sure about that?" Evie says, raising an eyebrow. "I think we both know who led Mal's kidnapping. A certain someone who your son is suddenly in love with."

Beast grimaces, "Yes, Evie, I know. Everything at that cotillion was one big hint, I just wish we where they had access to, to hide her this well."

Belle looks over the VKs, motherly instincts telling her to comfort them, even though she knows they can handle this.

The villain kids stay for breakfast with the royals. When Belle offers them a ride to school, they decline, saying they can simply walk.

They have more important things to do.

—————

Uma's first-mate guides Mal down a dark corridor, his two crew mates pulling her along through the mere blackness.

Through the minuscule amount of light, Mal can make out stone walls coated in dust and grime. Occasionally there are old, worn down bricks but most of the wall appears to be naturally formed.

They brought her to a damn cave?

They pass atleast three doors, and two hallways by Mal's count. She's plotting her escape, though the crew seems uncaring about her vision being left unobscured.

Perhaps they doubt her intelligence? Maybe they don't believe she can escape on her own. She's just have to prove them wrong.

Mal is torn from her thoughts when Harry steps ahead farther ahead of his crew suddenly, and Mal realizes they have reached a large dark-oak door. It's bigger than the one that enters her cell, and has three locks on it.

They halt upon reaching the door, and more light is now visible from a small torch that resides beside it. The lit torch forces Mal's eyes to adjust from the nearly complete darkness of before.

Harry pulls two separate keys from his pockets, and adjusts the dials on one lock.

After unlocking the seemingly ridicule amount of locks, Harry happily moves forward. The secondary pirate exits the room. The silence held during the walk is broken by Gil.

"Where do you want her, Harry?"

Harry tilts his head toward the right side of the room. Gil guides her to Harry given location and releases her. The anonymous pirate returns, hovering a metal chair above the ground in his grasp and wheeling in a cart holding an assortment of trays carrying needles and other ..tools.

He drags the chair behind him and continues pushing the cart forward into the sparsely filled room. He places the chair behind Mal, and shoves her into it.

"Don't try anything." He warns

He unbinds her arms, rope off of the cart in hand. He uses his forearm to keep Mal presses down into the chair and his opposite to adjust the rope to restrain her.

Mal acts hastily, using her elbow to hit him promptly in his nose. He holds his position, but the pressure holding her down is lost.

She knees him in his lower torso, using her upper body to shove him off. He stumbles backward, an enraged glare meets her eye. Mal wastes no time hesitating as she runs for the door. Harry stands in its frame, smirking arrogantly, waving his hook around.

"Now, now, Mal. I'm not an "imbecile", I'm not as you believe the rest of my crew to be." He mocks her, laughing dramatically. "I knew you were gonna make this difficult, Hell, he warned you to be a good little villain and just go along." Harry opens his mouth to continue, but is interrupted as Mal rushes into him, bracing with her shoulder.

Harry falters backward, caught off guard by her immediate aggression. Gil hesitantly takes a step closer.

Harry returns to his upright stance, a discomforting grin remains on his face. "Well, That was not very nice Mal. But who am I to judge another villain.."

Harry's words drift off, shaking his head in disapproval toward Mal. Mal stands feet from him, door still blocked by his body.

She senses movement behind her, and shifts her said so that she can see the pirate standing behind her in the corner of her eye. He's panting in anger, fists clenched and moves forward.

Harry gives a definitive, "Ahem." And shakes his head "no" at his shipmate. The pirate behind Mal ceases movement, but rage is still clearly evident in his eyes.

Mal glares at Harry, she can fight her own battles, he should know by now. Harry eases closer, ready for combat now. Mal takes the first swing, hoping to activate Harry’s maniacal aggression.

It works.

Harry throws punches repeatedly, nearly hitting Mal twice but her speed enables her to dodge effectively. Harry swings with his hook and makes his first successful hit. He slashed across her torso, leaving red trail behind.

Reflexively Mal clutched her bleeding stomach. She leans over holding her wound and looks up at the grinning pirate. Mal quickly blocks out the pain and wiped her blood on her clothing.

She swings at Harry with her right and then left fist, catching his jaw the second time.

The fight continued like this for a matter of minutes, one gaining the upper hand on the other in the dark lighting.

Mal seemed to be advancing on Hook, but she feels a sudden prick in her neck. Her hand rises to the source of her odd pain and turns around. Dazedly she sees the unnamed pirate holding an empty syringe, smirking like a narcissist.

She grabs at the collar of his pirate wardrobe and raised her fist..

Her fist makes contact with his nose for a second time before the rest of her body makes contact with the cold stone floor.

Her cheek rests on rock; her mind struggles to focus on the noises around her. She attempts to get up, but her body refuses to cooperate.

She can hear Harry yell.

"How dare you! I had it under control."

She listens to the familiar sound of a fist connecting with a face, and hears the pirate thump against the ground not far from her.

Footsteps whisper around her, as if nudging her awake.

Faintly, Gil's voice is heard but she can't hear the words anymore.

Her eyelids sink down heavily, like a cargo ship littered with holes.

Down, down, down.

Her senses are drowned out.

And then she too submerges into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be updating this weekly (hopefully), and chapters will continue to be this length or longer. Things are probably going to get a lot darker from here... comment any suggestions, thanks!


	4. Powerless

While unconscious, Mal's dreamless and drugged state eventually floated into a well-needed sleeping state. Her body's exhaustion demanded rest, as did her mind, though the two did not achieve any of the intended results. 

Once into her normal slumber, Mal's own memories and monsters that had been prowling were ready to strike. They ripped at her, clawing at her desperately to get a hold.

They succeeded.

These nightmares weren't new to her, if anything she was accustomed to them. Even with her experience, it never stopped them from hurting.

Usually she dreamt about Maleficent and her goal to carve Mal into a newer version of herself, by any means possible. (Even though Maleficent always sharpened her blades, they could never pierce through Mal's genuine desire for something more, better). This dream was different from ones she'd endured before. She was holding hands with Ben, all was well. Much like reality, it didn't last. In the following hazy moments Ben was torn from her, suddenly appearing next to Uma she glared down at her from the castle tower. 

She was powerless. 

Scenes jumbled together, but she was aware of the current event. Uma's pirate crew re-enacted the events that had truly transpired from her initial arrival in the cave, but with a twist. Here, in her Hellish dreamworld, Mal awoke to her friends tied by their wrists from a beam on the cavelike-cellar ceiling. 

Masks draped over their heads, and dim lights shone just brightly enough for the crimson on their clothing to be visible. 

Mal was in the very chair that that damned pirate had attempted to put her in earlier. She thrashed and screamed but no one in the room seemed to hear her. 

She could do nothing. 

She ripped and tugged at her restraints to no avail, her throat ached as she screamed louder until her voice became rough and horrid.

Uma appeared in front of her, smiling with Ben by her side. He smiled, looking into Uma's eyes and showed no emotion toward the tortuous displays, only a loving gleam in his eyes for Uma.

Against all of her violent efforts, Mal was trapped in that chair, her friends being beaten by Harry and Uma's crew. The pirates laughed and cheered, enjoying the frustrated and desperate look on Mal's face as blood continued to fall from her friends' bodies. Evie's painful whimpers could be heard, and the boys' groans eventually faded to nothing. 

Unlike her nightmares, she had couldn't grasp control.

She failed.

——————

After Gil removed his unconscious comrade from the cell, he aided Harry in contacting Uma. Despite his devotion to the crew, every time he helped their plot something bit at him.

Guilt. 

Still, he went along, working for Harry and Uma. He wasn't entirely aware of what the future held for Mal, though he knew it would end badly.

He wanted to be dedicated to the cause as his other mates were, but he couldn't comprehend Uma's end goal of destroying Mal. As appealing as taking over Auradon was sometimes, he knew there had to be a better way. Regardless, he stood by and continued their dirty work. He was sure if he showed any sign of questioning they really would throw him back out to sea. 

Harry allowed Gil the privilege of meeting with Uma during the night, though he was instructed to remain quiet. Of course. Uma and Harry talked for ten minutes, in-depth about the first surprise Mal would "receive". Gil disapproved deep down, but suppressed the feeling quickly.

"Keep things on track, Harry. I've got Ben and plenty of the staff here wrapped around my finger. If you need anything more than what you already have, just ask." Uma said proudly.

Harry nodded, "Of course. I'll be sure to give you an update after tomorrow."

Uma grinned mischievously, and gave Harry a pat on the shoulder. 

"I guess I should get back to that silly King."  
Uma chuckled to herself and turned away. 

Harry grinned with his bright teeth and looked to Gil. He muttered something that Gil was used to hearing, "Good boy."

They returned to the cave quickly, leaving Gil no time to wade in his thoughts. 

They entered the large room. Mal shifted uncomfortably in the chair, sweat beading at the top of her forehead, her eyes still closed. 

Gil's frown sunk lower, and Harry's sailing smile rose.

"Soon, Gil, the fun will begin."

——————

Mal awoke with a jolt, heart racing and mind frantically taking in her surroundings. She wasn't alone this time; not only was she accompanied by materials rustling behind her, but also a throbbing headache and an unpleasantly painful reminder of the wound on her stomach.

Remembering her wound, she tried to clutch her stomach and failed. During her unconsciousness they had successfully bound her to the chair. 

She tilted her head upright and her neck ached.  Mal blinked slowly multiple times, her vision blurry. As her eyes adjusted, she tried to make minimal movements as so not to alert the noise behind her that she was awake.

Hands pressed down on her shoulders, cold and calloused. Mal physically shook in the chair, startled by the unexpected contact. Above her head was a faint murmur of words that came out jumbled with her headache, though Mal could make out Harry's tone.

She attempted to speak, but it came out as a soft groan. 

Harry laughed above her, shaking her by her shoulders lightly. He removed his hands from her. She listened as he seemed to arrange tools on the cart she had seen before she went unconscious.

Her mind was now gaining alertness, though the headache had yet to fade. Harry moved in front of her, his face coated in his overbearing grin. 

"Rise and shine, daughter of Maleficent."

"Fuck off, Harry." She says attempting defiance, though her voice is rough from grogginess she manages to block her pain from leaking into her tone. 

Harry stands shaking his head, hands tucked behind his back. She can faintly see bruises on his face from their fight, but she isn't satisfied. 

"You aren't much of a morning person, are you?" He says, smirking annoyingly. He appears giddy, his body awake and on the verge of hyperactive as he sways his balance from foot to foot. He's practically bouncing with excitement. 

Mal ignores his comment, and instead chooses to focus a glare on him. He frowns dramatically and steps closer. 

"Well, Mal. Today you have the privilege of the first surprise. I'd apologize for the delay, but that's your own doing." He continues his sarcastic frown, savoring the opportunity to mock her. 

Ignoring her unresponsiveness, Harry eagerly exits the cell. Mal hears faint voices outside of the strong wooden door. She glances around, but she knows there isn't anyway to escape right now. Still, she tugs her wrists this way and that, fighting to break free from the rope.

She gains no freedom, only irritated wrists and increased frustration. As she waits, she hears more footsteps outside of the door, likely Harry's other crew mates.

Her assumption is confirmed when Harry re-enters with pirates following his steps. They pile in on the left side of the room, atleast 10 sets of eyes on Mal. Many of them call her foul names, the most popular being "traitorous bitch" but she chooses to ignore them. 

The final person to enter is Gil and his face is no longer emotionless, but possibly sorrowful. He ducks his head down after meeting accidental eye contact with Mal and continues trudging in behind the other pirates. 

"Now, mates, as you know we have a very special opportunity today, due to some of your great work during the cotillion." He gestures to Mal and receives deep cheers from many of the men. "Today, I'll begin the first "surprise", but I think we can pull in the second one." He smirks and the crew responds with louder cheers. 

Harry approaches Mal, lowering himself to her eye level and examining her face. 

"Such a sorrow that your pretty face will be ruined, Maleficent." He pauses, as if remembering better times "You could have made the right decision Mal. All you had to do was pick the right side." He shakes his head scoldingly, a hint of sadness still visible but Mal cannot decipher its genuity (authenticity). 

Harry raises his fake hook and caresses Mal's cheek, down to below her jawline. He reaches his hook down and lifts the hem of her shirt, revealing her open wound from the day before. Mal holds her breath as the metal grazes it. "Not bad," he mutters. His opposing hand grabs some of her hair and tilts her head back roughly. He removed his hook from the cut across his midsection.

Harry refocuses, and continues his rant, "But you didn't. You didn't choose the right side. And I can't say I won't enjoy this, but you earned it after all."

Harry pulls Mal's head forward by her hair, harshly throwing her neck forward, sending her chin slamming into her chest. Mal's headaches throbs and she shuts her eyes in agitation.

"What are you so pissed off about Harry? Is it that I didn't join your crew, or that I just didn't choose evil all together? I'm getting really fucking tired of everyone trying to force me to pick a side, and in reality I'm on my own. I always have been." Her monologue had gained momentum, but by the final line her voice is a whisper, words that she had only ever spoken quietly alone and never to anyone else. 

Harry stands there for a moment, angry and confused all at once before speaking, "Well, Maleficent, I don't think it really matters. Either way, it's good thing you have us as 'friends' now... we're gonna have some fun."

Mal assumes no one heard the last part of her statement. Her eyes are intently glaring at him, and she wants to say more, but can think of nothing that would help the situation. She takes a deep breath in preparation what is to come.

Harry raises his hand and strikes Mal across the cheek repeatedly, face stern and emotionless unlike before. Mal's headache roars and she can't do anything to stop it.

When Harry gets bored of hitting Mal, and her nose and cheeks drip blood, he kicks her chair. The force from this is enough to send her backward, the chair crashing into the floor loudly. 

The impact  forces her into awareness. The pirates are yelling and cheering Harry on. His smirk has returned, and she can taste blood. 

"Enjoying yourself?" She mutters to Harry who hovers proudly above her.

"Why, yes, I am. Are you?" Harry replies, wiping blood from his knuckles onto cloth provided by one of the pirates.

Mal ignored him fights to ignore the pain radiating from her face. Blood from her nose drips down her chin to her neck and she gets goosebumps.  

From her position on the floor, all Mal can see is Harry's head and the crowd on the side of the room. Gil has disappeared from the room. Her attention returns to the captain as he looks to his crew pridefully. 

"Who wants to go next?"

Mal wants to scream in frustration, but as she feels her wrists rubbed raw from fighting to escape, she stays silent.

She's powerless.

——————

That day, the VKs declined a ride to school from Belle and Beast. They needed to take the opportunity to personally investigate. Evie formulated a plan while Carlos and Jay reached out to people they could trust.

When they returned to the dorms, Carlos and Jay led Lonnie, Doug, and Jane with them. As much as they hated dragging people into this, they needed as much help as they could get. 

"Evie, I'm so sorry this is happening," Doug said as he approached her. He quickly embraced in her a hug, and Evie was the first to pull away. They had to get down to business.

"What do we do first?" Jay asked as he closed the door.

"We need to talk to Ben. Alone, of course." Evie replies, "It won't be long before Uma tried to get Ben to do something else, other than tearing down the barrier all together." 

"Yeah," Carlos interjected "we're lucky Belle and Beast intervened, and the kingdom accepted it.." 

"Yeah, I'm glad everyone supported them, otherwise Uma would have gotten her way immediately... that would have been awful." Jay adds, considering the potential outcome.

"So," Evie says "we should speak to Belle and Beast. And I think we should start investigating beyond the campus, she can't be too far, but there is no way she's still here and the royal guards didn't find her." 

"You're right." Carlos and Jane say in unison. The two blush and avoid eye contact from each other nervously. The rest of the group lightly chuckled.

"Let's get started." Jay says, looking to Lonnie.

"Let's." She says, and the group splits up.

Evie and Doug go to speak with the royals, Jay and Lonnie go along with Carlos and Jane to find maps of Auradon that could be of use to them.

Hold on, Mal. Evie thinks as she marches through the kingdom.

If no one else will, they'll do this themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment any suggestions and let me know if you find any typos! Thanks for reading, and there's more to come! 
> 
> Note: it will likely be getting continually darker from here...


	5. Reoccurring Thoughts

The VKs successfully retrieved various maps of Auradon, varying in dates from decades ago to the present. From sewer systems to typical road maps, the VKs examined the maps in search of any ideal location for hiding Mal.

"We've been at this for hours! There has to be another way, besides if it's such a good hiding spot, I doubt it's on a map." Carlos said frustratedly, throwing one of the numerous maps down onto the table in their dorm.

"Carlos- " Jay exclaims, only to be interrupted.

"No, Jay, we need to think of this another way because I don't know if I can handle staring at another fucking map." Carlos steps away from the table angrily, running his hands through his hair. He paced around annoyed.

Jay stepped back, slightly taken aback though not entirely surprised. "Alright, Carlos. We do."

"I agree, actually." Evie adds "as much as these maps could help, we're not getting anywhere. I don't know how long it'll take before we find Mal, but until we do, we have to stop Uma from making Ben do anything he can't stop." Evie paces to the other side of the table, "His parents can't control him forever."

"I know it's only the second full-day she's been gone but we are really lucky Auradon has been in favor or Belle and Beast overruling Ben's demands, well, Uma's." Jay said in agreement with her.

The VKs let those words wander the air, thinking of a way to fix the situation. Doug placed his map down on the wooden table beside Carlos' crumpled one.

"TheEnchanted Lake." Carlos says, looking at a single spot on his worn map incredulously.

Evie fanatically spoke, thoughts rapidly flooding her mind. "Oh my God. Okay. I have an idea."

——

Her head pounds, and it takes her a minute to realize she's no longer bound to a chair. She's still restrained, but is now just laying on the cold concrete floor with blood crusted on her face.

The room is no longer filled with asshole-pirates, just her bare arms and chilling thoughts. It never hit her before, but she's achingly lonely. Her body's riddled with colorful bruises, most of which she can't remember who caused them, but lately her mind fades from the pain on the surface of her skin to a much deeper one. Ben.

She'd been too distracted earlier to notice it very much, but now as she's left in the cold cell for her second day captive, she's getting lonely (although she prefers silent isolation over the violence that comes with her only visitors).

Ignoring her emotional wounds, Mal forces her focus to assess her physical injuries. Bruised ribs, maybe a couple broken; a cut below her left eye, likely from Hook's fist; and other than her roaring headache it's hard to identify the other varying injuries because her body aches all over.

She fights to stand on her legs, the movement making her instantly dizzy. She steps forward to the door, examining it for any weak points. (She never has any good luck with these sorts of things).

Eventually she returns to the back wall, sitting with her back pressed against the rough bricks. She can't tell what time it is, but by her guess it's likely day 2. Hopefully. Her internal clock is thrown off by being beaten into unconsciousness repeatedly.

She's tilts her head against the back wall, fists clenched in anger and she could feel the dried blood on her knuckles split but it didn't matter. Wha was a little more pain? She was trapped in a fucking freezing brick-walled cave and she hadn't eaten in at least a day. Her stomach hurt, craving food and her body cried out in pain every time she moved, despite the lack of any real tears. She refused to be weak.

With her luck, those damn pirates were watching her and laughing at her miserable attempts to find an escape, but she'd never know for sure. Just the thought of them watching her made her more angry, frustration taking reign in her mind once more.

She can't even defend herself, let alone protect her friends.

She couldn't protect Ben.

The thought of Ben always comes back to her, although her only wish is to go back to him.

She lets her eyes lazily fall shut, and eventually her fists unclench and her mind drifts off into a cold, angry slumber.

—————

"Uma, I think it's time he makes his demands more serious. They've denied him for this long, but it's only been weak attempts. It's day 2 and we have yet to pose a major demand and have it be granted, thanks to his damn parents."

"Alright, Harry." Uma paced around the empty corridor, "Tonight."

"Good. You know what you're going to ask? Erm, he is going to ask?" He asked, looking at the way light from the window reflected off of his hook.

Uma placed her hand on his fake hook and lowered his arm, removing the distraction.  
"Of course, Hook." She smirked and gave him a small pat on the back, turning away from him. "We do have other things to discuss, though. Perhaps about our series of surprises?" She chuckled cruelly and turned back to face him. "How did she like the first round?"

"Oh you know, Uma. Nothing unexpected from the Daughter of Maleficent."

"Good, I assumed so since you weren't sporting any new bruises. I'll make the proposal tonight, you can introduce the second surprise whenever you wish. Just make it soon." Uma made her way toward the door, opening it for Harry to exit into the seemingly dreary early-morning light. Harry stepped out, sending a quick grin Uma's way.

"Harry."

He turned around slowly, slight confusion plastered on his usually arrogant smirk. He tilted his head, waiting.

She shakes her head, "Never mind, I'll talk to you soon."

———

"Uma won't be gone for much longer, we have to get Ben now."

Beast and Belle nodded, standing up form the hairs in their royal office.

"Then we'll go now. Follow us."

As soon as he VKs had remembered the Enchanted Lake, all of them except Carlos and Jay rushed to inform Belle and Beast. During their chat with Ben's parents, Jay and Carlos went around the Kingdom to investigate Ben and Uma's whereabouts. That is when they discovered Uma had left Ben. The only people around were the usual royal guards.

Belle and Beast anxiously walked down the hall, rushing to meet with their son before Uma could return. As expected, the guards stood posted outside of Ben's room alertedly. They weren't the normal royal guards, atleast not ones that Belle and Beast has close relations with.

The guard to the left is taller than the one standing to his right. Lefty has short, dark brown hair. His bangs are styled up, not allowed to sag down by the extensive amount of gel holding it in position. His partner stands, the difference of a few inches in height are prominent as he slouches forward. He has dirty blonde hair and sloppily combed bangs. Both guards are younger than either Belle or Beast would have anticipated, though cannot be sure of their exact ages.

"Ma'am. Sir." The guards bowed their heads in approval. "You can enter, but King Ben has requested not to be disturbed for very long."

"Of course, we won't be long." Belle replied sadly, thinking of Ben under the love spell. The group shuffled forward towards the door before they were abruptly stopped.

"Sorry, Ma'am we are not permitted to allow them entrance to King Ben or Princess Uma." The guard to the left says, tilting his head toward the pack of teens behind the former-royalty.

"I see. They can wait here." Belle looks to Evie, expecting her to object instantly but is shocked when she doesn't. She turns to the door, giving a click glance to the VKs before entering with Beast.

To their surprise, Jay and Carlos are already inside the room and their son is sitting in his desk chair silently.

In hushed concern, Beast says "What- how did you get in here?"

Carlos laughs quietly, "C'mon, we're villain kids after all." Jay smirks before adding, "Good ole Ben left his window open, and their guards aren't the sharpest."

Belle rushes over to Ben, giving him an excited hug. Beast shakes his head understandingly. "Well, I've noticed the guards are... lacking, to say the least. I'm not sure when they had time to replace our staff, but they've only done it with those in close connection with themselves."

Beast looks over to Ben who still hasn't said a word. "Son?"

Ben attempts to speak but no words are vocalized, not a single sound. Carlos interrupts the confusing silence "About that... we may have planned on coming in here anyway and already had some supplies, you could say." He nervously smiles but recovers quickly with an explanation "He was pretty eager to rat us out so we had to act fast, and Power Of Silence seemed like a good bet."

"I'll have to talk to Evie about that later.." Belle said, looking sadly to her son who sat angrily trying to speak. "Anymore parts of the plan we weren't informed of?"

"Well, actually-" Jay started before Evie opened the door.

"Hello." Doug said, giving an uncomfortable smile. The door swung open wide and the two former-royals could see the guards were unconscious and sitting against the walls of the  
hallway.

"Wow, okay." Belle says, clearly surprised the VKs has so much set up.

"Sorry," Evie begins "we weren't sure you would support our plan." She bounces nervously from foot to foot before standing still, awaiting their reaction.

"Well, we've come this far, and it doesn't seem like a good time to dwell on your strategy when Uma could return at any time. However, in the future, I strongly recommend you inform us of your plans." Beast says, clenching his teeth angrily. He keeps his composure as Belle place a hand around his arm.

"We should go, now." Lonnie says, glancing out into the hallway.

Ben refused to get up and follow the VKs out so Jay happily used another concoction to knock him out. Beast nearly yelled at this, but understood with a huff.

The group carried Ben out the back entrance of the castle and the VKs made their way quickly to the Enchanted Lake. Belle and Beast stayed at the castle in hopes of keeping their plan running smoothly. Lonnie stayed out by Ben's room to make sure the guards stayed asleep and no one raised any questions.

They could do this, they could bring back the old Ben.

———

Gil walked down the cold hallways, pulling his worn-jacket tighter around his torso. He tried to act casual and natural, but he was on a mission. He carried a small plate of food and a cup of water with him clutched closely to himself. It was his shift to guard Mal's room and no one would question him for bringing a snack along, unless Harry returned early.

"I got it from here." He said, looking to the pirate sitting outside of the chamber. He nodded, standing up and resigning his seat to Gil. He didn't have much time before Harry could return so he did a quick check of the hallway before pulling out keys to the cell from his pocket.

He sometimes wished he could just go along and be like the other pirates, heartless. But he felt guilt. It came in waves, but it still came nonetheless. And as much as part of him wanted to free Mal, he knew he couldn't. So, he settled for not condemning her to the shitty food the crew would present her eventually or malnutrition.

He unlocked the late door, the hinges creaking loudly as he opened it, despite his efforts to suppress the noise. He stepped in frowned instantly at the sight of Mal curled up on the floor. Dried blood seemed to cover her, and some of her wounds were made uglier by dark bruises.

Tear stains ran like faint rivers down her face, though he was sure she was unconscious. He closed the gap between himself and her, shaking her shoulder to wake her.

She snapped awake, eyes opening frantically and her legs kicking towards his direction. He hopped backward, stunned.

"It's just me Mal. I'm sorry I scared you."

Mal shakes her head, blinking a few times before leaning her face down to her shoulder to wipe her dried tears.

"Just you. Okay, Gil. What do you want?"Gil understood her hostility, after all he was the enemy despite his conflicting emotions.

Gil frowns, raising his hand to rub his forehead. "I'm sorry.. look I just wanted to bring you some food and water." He pulled out the sandwich and cup of water, revealing the to her from out of his hoodie.

She seemed confused by the gesture, eyebrows furrowing as if she couldn't believe he would do such a thing for her. He cuts the rope that binds her hands and offers the sandwich to her as a sign of peace. Skeptically, she accepts and takes eager bites of it. It doesn't take long before the sandwich and water are gone.

"Mal,I have to go- he could get back any second, but I am really sorry."

He looks over her injuries, wishing he had brought something them. He pushes the regret away quickly when he remembers that Hook definitely would have assumed it was him she had her wounds tended to.

Mal just shakes her head tiredly, slouching back against the wall. "Thanks, Gil." He retirees her hands and is shocked that she doesn't try to escape.

He can't tell if she knows what would happen to him if she escaped on his watch, or if she simply could not fight anymore. He hoped it's the first option rather than the second, but either way guilt reaching back at him again as he exits the frigid chamber and locks the door behind him.

Guilt was gonna eat him alive, and Harry was gonna beat Mal down before they even got to the final part of the plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating nearly as frequently as I had said I would, like I should have expected, things came up and got in the way. Also, I apologize for any typos as I did not take the extra time to reread.
> 
> As always I am open to comments and critique! Thanks for reading and in advance, for the Kudos or comments!


	6. Surprise

Uma returned inside of the large building, making quick strides toward her royal bedroom. A grand godfather clock in one of the long hallways rang out, signaling that it had just turned 11:00am. Uma frowned, wishing she didn't have to wait longer, but at least she could distract herself with Ben, her newly beloved boyfriend. She quickened her step down the hall, eager to see him.

—————

As soon as the VKs arrived with Ben at the Enchanted Lake, they untied him and pushed him in. Sure, they could have been nicer since they know he's under a spell, but it still felt like betrayal. Ben flailed momentarily in the cool water. It didn't take long before his head shot up and he looked to Jay and Carlos.

"What the... Hell?" He shook his head, water dripping off the ends of his hair. He stared at all of the VKs in front of him, shaking his head.

"Someone head to put some sense back into that big head of yours, Ben." Ever said with a chuckle. "So they just had to throw me in?" Ben retorted, glaring at Jay and Carlos who high-fives each other.

"Pushed. You were pushed, not thrown." Carlos said with an arrogant smirk. "Yeah, whatever. Thanks." Ben said. Jay reached out to him, offering him help out of the water. Ben accepted graciously, although part of Jay considered the thought that Ben was going to pull him into the water for revenge.

"Alright boys, we still have to find Mal." Evie stated, a small frown returning to her face. She wished things were simpler, that they were only at the lake for swimming, rather than spell-breaking and soon to be life saving.

"Oh my God. Mal!" Ben looked at Evie, fear evident in his eyes. "What have I done?" He placed his head in his hands, tears warping his vision. "Let's go. We can fix this." He picked up his pace, strides growing more confident.

"Ben, it's not that simple. We still need Uma to believe that you're under her control... And we haven't quite found Mal yet." Evie grimaced at the thought, "You're gonna have to be a pretty good actor." Ben looked up at her, trying to understand what she meant. Then it clicked, and he remembered that as of right now, Uma was supposed to be the love of his life. He was King Ben, under the love potion, oblivious to his love for Mal. He nodded to Evie, lips tight across his face as he thought about the challenges ahead of him.

"I can do this."

"Good, because we have to get going. I'll fill you in on the rest on our way back, but we need to hurry. Uma could be looking for you as we speak."

The VKs quickly entered a car and sped back to the kingdom, hoping to sneak Ben inside before Uma would ever know he was gone."

—————————

Mal had tried to stay asleep, she really had. When she was asleep, her pain seemed to diminish and that sense of temporary physical peace was something she wished she could hold on to. But like all good things for Mal it seemed, must end. Her grasp on sleep was fading, until it was completely lost.

Her wounded form jolted when Hook rapidly paced towards her, though he may as well have been stomping. Even his rather soft steps increased the pounding in her head. She couldn't even keep track of her injuries anymore, it was just a constant state of pain, and damn, she wished she could sleeping.

"Why, good morning Mal!" Hook said, clapping his and hook together proudly. Mal groaned, she mustered what strength she could to spit in the damned pirate's direction. "Now, that really wasn't very nice. I suppose that's be expected." Harry shook his head over-exaggeratedly. Mal forced her aching body into a sitting position, glaring up at him.

"Back to beat me again, Hook?" She said, eyes full of rage, though her face was worn down with exhaustion. "I like to think of it as more of a gift." He replied with a smirk. He reached into one of his front coat pockets and retrieved a syringe.

Mal's eyes immediately widened, the reaction causing Harry's smile to grow. "Afraid of needles are we, Mal?" He stepped quickly to Mal, removing misplaced hair from Mal's face with his cold, metal hook. "There truly is no reason to be childish." Mal clenched her teeth, contemplating how to handle the situation. Whatever the Hell was in the syringe was guaranteed to worsen her current state, but even with her determined mentality, she was well-aware she couldn't take Harry alone, and especially not while his guards resided nearby. She was fucked.

"Stay the Hell away from me, Hook."

"No can do."

He brought the syringe up into better view for Mal. She flinched away from it, ready to try and fight, anyway. Harry leaned in closely, "Sleep well." More sleep? The thought was momentary as she was being overwhelmed by adrenaline. As he raised the syringe to Mal's neck she threw her head forward into his. He was stunned, which led him stumbling onto his back. Mal tried to stand, but could not find the strength in her wobbly legs to do so. She only made it so far as to kneel, the bruises on them flaring with pain. Harry stood up almost immediately, nostrils flaring in anger. "You're lucky I like a challenge, Maleficent."

He rushed forward, aggressively shoving Mal onto her back. He towered over her, admiring the cuts and bruises that littered her body. He hit her across the face, grinning as she grimaced. Her head stayed laying on the cold cement floor. Sweat was beading at her hairline, and it felt like a relief, as though if she could just focus on that maybe she'd be okay.

She felt blood drip down her. He had reopened the cut on her forehead. Satisfied, he put his body on top of hers, pinning her effectively. He grabbed her by the chin, forcing her to look at him despite the way her head was lolling to the side. He plunged the syringe into her neck.

"You'll wish you could've spent more time with me today."

Mal lazily stared back at him, trying to process the words his mouth formed. Her eyes drifted around Hook, then to nothing.

Darkness found her instantly, and she was thrown back into the world of unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have not died  
> You're welcome  
> u.u.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please let me know if you have any ideas regarding the plot/storyline or anything.


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